Famicom Dojo Video Game Podcast

Vinnk and Sean talk about the insane auction prices of some not-very-rare (but sealed) physical retro games, and the value of remakes. In Future Retro, Sean shares his spoiler-free thoughts on The Last of Us Part II on PS4, and Vinnk reviews… a book? Oh, but it’s about the value of retro games! Whew, saved it…"One More Continue" and "RPG" theme songs by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net...

We celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Famicom Dojo Video Game Podcast by answering your questions!"One More Continue" and "RPG" theme songs by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net . Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie Podcast Network. Listen to other great shows at http://nerdandtie.com .

Originally Broadcast 2021/10/22 : Check out the first episode of our SECRET PODCAST! After a war that nearly wipes out humanity, anyone born with the curse of sight or access to written knowledge is killed by the Witchfinders of Queen Kane of the Payan Kingdom. Despite this, the Queen had designs on royal progeny who can see in order to gain an edge over her enemies. Her consort goes astray, howev...

Instead of interrupting our video game podcast to talk about TV, we've made a TV podcast we can interrupt to talk about video games. Join us as review a different show (or subsequent season of that show) every episode. Logo by by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie Podcast Network. Listen to other great shows at http://nerdandtie.com .

The bad news keeps compounding for Sony. First came the announcement that the PS3, PSP, and Vita online stores would be shutting down this July. Then some intrepid investigators discovered that the death of the CMOS battery in PS3 and PS4 models means your digital libraries would be useless -- even if the batteries are replaced -- unless it can connect to online servers that will no longer be in s...

Most games are made with some kind of crunch to meet sales targets and match up with buying patterns, but sometimes the motives of publishers (and it's almost always the publishers) can be more nefarious. Why does crunch happen, and how can consumers stop it, if at all? Would you pay more for a game that was made ethically? Vinnk and Sean recount stories of developer woe, and ways to combat the sc...

Video game sequels weren't like movie sequels. Technical improvements and customer feedback almost always mean better games, and more money to make them. But sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Sean and Vinnk try to one-up each other with progressively worse video game sequels, we take suggestions from live viewers, Vinnk's Future Retro is VERY retro, and Sean's Pile of Shame is inspired by hi...

New console games have a standard price point every generation. With the introduction of the 9th generation, will that price eventually go up? What does that mean in a world of DLC, special editions, and a practice of dropping to $20 or $30 a few weeks after release? Sean and Vinnk discuss whether a raise to a $70 makes sense, or of games are already overpriced. Sean talks Riven: The Sequel to Mys...

Why do some video game genres endure, when others fizzle out? What happens when one of the genres that dies is one that you really happen to love? Graphic adventure games gave us a scare for a while, but text adventures are toast. Sean and Vinnk talk about Myst, its remake realMyst, its re-remake (also) Myst, and try to pin down its categorization. Is it a walking similuator, or is Myst its own ge...

Gone are the days that shipping a game meant it was "done", and the development team would move on to a new project. In the 2020s, like other software, distributing games over the internet can mean spending more time and money creating a new experience than what lead up to the launch date. Games that were "finished" years ago can see updates that fundamentally change the experience. Sometimes this...

Originally Broadcast 2020/07/29 : Vinnk and Sean lead off this compilation with a visit Vinnk made back to the states with his family in 2017, making it a real-live Vinnk-Con 2017! On this episode of the Nerd & Tie podcast we dig out our biggest secrets. Those would, of course, be The Secret Podcasts. For those unaware, we often record secret ten minute shows while at cons which get posted to a hi...

Another new generation of gaming is nearly upon us, but what value does it bring? What does it mean? And how the heck do you remember the progression of Xbox names? Sean and Vinnk feel their age as they discuss what the ninth generation of gaming may bring, try to differentiate from the "pro" versions of the eighth generation, and worry about yet another push towards digital-only consoles. We talk...

When we last talked about the various video game ratings systems, we concluded that they were useless. Now that we're older and wiser, our perspective has evolved accordingly. What if video game ratings are good, actually? Vinnk and Sean dive into the history of Night Trap (now that Sean's actually played it), and how the congressional hearing lead to a surge in sales that may not have happened fo...

Originally Broadcast 2014/03/07 : When a podcast has been around for years, sometimes we repeat topics, but often with a new perspective. Next week we'll discuss video game ratings as well, so enjoy this first pass from the past! Does anyone of the generation who grew up with video games have an excuse to not understand how much (or rather, how little) video games affect people? So many buy Rated...

We're still stuck at home (well, some of us are), wondering how the closure of non-essential businesses is will affect not just giant video game retailers, but our home-grown favorite resellers, such as the eponymous Famicom Dojo. Sean and Vinnk recover from a failed live stream to ponder anew the physical vs digital question. In Future Retro we take a Journey, and Sean learns from Vinnk what Ron...

Vinnks catches up Sean on all the TV shows he's been watching with his kids, plus some shows he's been interested in since Quarantine Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie Podcast Network. Listen to other great shows at http://nerdandtie.com .

Wisconsin has been on lockdown for about five weeks now, with at least five more to go. What do do in the meantime? Play video games and reduce our pile of shame, of course! Vinnk and Sean talk about the games they're playing while Safer at Home, hopefully reduce their Pile of Shame by finally playing through the original Doom games and Final Fantasy VII and VIII -- all available now for Nintendo...

Mythic Quest is Vinnk's new favorite show (after The Good Place ended), which he was suddenly reminded of when talking about Mystic Quest's origins as a Final Fantasy spinoff. We cut out these tangents for the main episode, but preserved them here for you to relish! Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie...

Some of the most interesting deviations between US retro games and their Japanese originals are the decisions made when they were localized to non-Japanese countries, the politics of the time, and subsequent censorship. What if we had it all to do over again? Sean and Vinnk explore new localizations of games that either never got one, or are getting new ones, and in Pile of Shame we try to figure...

Console life cycles are fairly predicable, especial for Nintendo consoles. Right now we're about halfway through the wildly-successful Switch, but the only hardware revision we have to show for it is the Switch Lite. If a Switch Pro doesn't come this year, does that mean it won't come at all? Vinnk and Sean debate the clues, and what a Switch Pro would even have to offer. In Future Retro we talk a...

Usually console anniversaries are celebrated events, but when the Dreamcast turned 20 years old it seemed like an afterthought -- assuming anyone thought about it at all. What happened? Sean and Vinnk discuss their Dreamcast memories, and speculate why the 20th wasn't as big as the 10th or even the 15th. Vinnk's Future Retro is Grandia II, his favorite Dreamcast game. And Sean talks about playing...

Nintendo buried the lede in its latest Nintendo Direct with the announcement of its 16-bit offerings on the anniversary of its Nintendo Switch Online service. North America got Super NES, and the Japan eShop got Super Famicom. Vinnk and Sean discuss how to download Famicom and Super Famicom Online (even if you don't have a Japanese Switch!), review Night Trap and Fire Emblem: The Three Houses in F...

When we asked our Patreon supporters what they wanted us to podcast about, the answer was pretty unilaterally a topic about our first import games we beat. So, for helping us meet our first Patreon goal, we have obliged! Vinnk and Sean discuss their history with import gaming, the first games they beat and one which consoles, and debate what "import" actually means for Vinnk now that he lives in J...

Sean and Vinnk take to YouTube to chat with viewers and listeners like you about the state of Famicom Dojo, our plans for future videos and podcasts, and what we'll do to finally get that Season 2 DVD in your hands! Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie Podcast Network. Listen to other great shows at htt...

Reggie Fils-Aime has retired as President of Nintendo of America, but is leaving someone who is more than capable in the post. Someone who will probably build an airship as soon as the stockholders are looking the other way. Vinnk and Sean discuss Nintendo's leadership change, the Nintendo Switch Online battle royale game Tetris 99, and the quirky weirdness of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes....